Everyone's Listening
by KismetEvenstar
Summary: Cuddy gets a glimpse into House's mind when she finds his iPod and takes a quick listen.


Title: Everyone's Listening  
Characters/Pairing: Gregory House and Lisa Cuddy  
Word Count: 715  
Rating: PG-13 (I said a bad word...)  
Spoilers: nope  
Author's Notes: although I do not claim to own anything having to do with the show House, this is an original work of mine. Furthermore, I do not own the anything having to with the songs I listed on the iPod. Please don't sue me.

Cuddy walked in and found House's office empty as usual. _He's probably stashed away with Wilson_ she thought, sighing. She was tired of their clinic duty arguments; it was the one thing that truly pissed her off about him. Exasperated, she turned on her heels when something caught her eye. She walked over to his desk and picked up his iPod. A rare treasure, as it provided a glimpse into his steel locked mind, she could not resist. She double checked to make sure that no one was watching, then scooped it up and hurried off to her office.

She turned it on and was mildly amused to be greeted by a picture of a well endowed centerfold. Looking down at her own chest she adjusted her cleavage with pride. _She has nothing on me..._

With the flick of a finger she clicked on artists, and found a jumble of musical tastes. She scanned the list, finding all the obvious genres—classic rock, mellow 80's, even some 70's soul snug between the Rolling Stones and The Who, all of this spliced with picks of recent albums. She singled out Coldplay's _Fix You_ and smiled. It was a song House could relate to one hundred percent, no wonder it was on there. She looked out into the hallway and still there was no sign of House. 'Son of a bitch!' she muttered to herself, and scooped up the iPod, bringing it to her office. She returned to the main menu, and clicked on albums, intending to bring up the rest of the Coldplay album.

Instead, she found a listing of names:

_Cameron  
Chase  
Cuddy  
Foreman  
House  
Stacy  
Wilson_

It took her a minute before she realized what they were. Personal mixes for each of them. Soundtracks for each of them. She was embarrassed for having violated this intimate aspect of his life, but still felt oddly touched to be on that list, no matter what songs may be listed under her name. It was a piece of House she knew he would never reveal on his own. She could not help herself. She scrolled down to her name to check out her 'playlist'.

'_Sexual Healing_' he said, and she jumped in her chair. The iPod clattered as it hit the floor, and she silently cursed herself for not hearing him come in. Without turning around, she cleared her throat. 'Excuse me?'

'_Sexual Healing_. First song on your playlist. Save you the trouble.'

She turned around to see his smug face, cocky smile starting to creep across it. A range of emotions hit her like a wave, some of them so off the wall she felt she needed another cup of coffee to clear her head and scare them away like she did after her dreams.

'I was just keeping it safe, since you left it out, and I know how expensive it is. Some disgruntled patient might think of coming in and taking it as payback, or one of those hookers and I am not writing it off-'

She stopped her run on explanation as No Doubt's _Just a Girl_ began to play. 'I love this song.' she said, singing along.

House sat down and took her in. _God she is amazing._ He thought to himself, as she lost herself in the moment.

Suddenly realized she was under scrutiny, Cuddy's checks colored, and she stopped. 'Damnit House, where have you been? I needed to go over these time sheets with you, but it's too late. You can work double the hours next week. I am going home. Take your silly little machine.'

She tossed it next to him and left the office, purse slung over one shoulder, grabbing her coat on the way out, trying her best to make a fast exit without looking as if she was escaping.

House shut off his iPod and smiled. 'Just a Girl.' He said to the empty office. A song Cuddy could relate to one hundred percent.

He pulled out his cell phone and hit #3.

'I'll be at your place in one hour Cuddy.' he told her, and hung up. He felt confident today.

He got up and plugged into his world. 'You make me wanna la-la…' he sang as he left the office.


End file.
